


Help! My Goldfish is Drowning!

by jangmun



Series: A Familiar Misadventure [1]
Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Hangyul outsmarted by goldfish, Hyeongjun and Dongpyo are brothers, Magic AU, Sassy Dongpyo, hangyul i love you i promise, if u squint, implied junsang, no braincells, pet shop, seungwoo and seungyoun being dumb as usual, so much goddamn fluff, wooseok caring older bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-08 08:22:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21472957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jangmun/pseuds/jangmun
Summary: Hyeongjun and Dongpyo's pet shop shenanigans. In which they sincerely reconsider entrusting the life of their animals to a certain few people.
Relationships: Son Dongpyo & Song Hyeongjun
Series: A Familiar Misadventure [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1630117
Comments: 8
Kudos: 26





	Help! My Goldfish is Drowning!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the lovely Stickie, my platonic Seungyoun, for coming up with such a cute and wonderful idea. Prompt credit goes to her, thus it's her fault that this now exists.

Opening a magic pet shop with your brother is one thing. Opening a magic pet shop because it would be the first one in the town and your brother has a weird gift for working with animals is another. Hyeongjun didn’t consider either when he agreed to help his brother, Dongpyo, open a pet shop.

Here’s the rundown. The shop is a chaotic yet organized mess. Birds flock around freely, shedding feathers on customers and shitting on surfaces they know aren’t their cages. Lizards are getting into places that even Hyeongjun’s small hands can’t reach. (Hence why they were moved into a new, separate room.) Dongpyo finds it all amusing, which doesn’t help his case. More times than he’d like to admit, Hyeongjun has considered letting his brother fend for himself, finding a job as a potion and medicine maker and getting his Familiar finally.

One way or another, however, Dongpyo reels him back into the job.The wild array of customers that come in and out and ring the annoying little bell are just an added bonus. (That may or may not have been Dongpyo’s convincing argument). “Hey Hyeongjun! Lend me a hand real quick?”

The magical pets usually apparate into the shop. Hyeongjun doesn’t even remember their first litter, at least not how they got it. He remembers reading something about how magical pets sensed the aura of the building and would find themselves there, waiting for a permanent home. He also remembers using the spell Wooseok gifted them to get their shop started.

So, in preparation for literally anything, Dongpyo overstocked on just about every type of food possible, including magic blends that they most certainly didn’t need about a hundred pounds of. So when he finally reaches the backroom where their lifetimes worth of food resides, he finds Dongpyo preoccupied in holding a torn bag of pellets back from spilling onto the freshly swept floor. Hyeongjun shakes his head, sighing. “A little help would be nice, Hyeongjun. Make fun of me later,” Dongpyo groans. His arms quiver slightly, and he only whines at the resulting mess.

Hyeongjun casts a quick spell with his free hand, watching the stitches of the sack sew themselves back into place, freeing up Dongpyo in the process. “Mind telling me how the hell this happened in the first place?”

He casts a magic cleaning spell on the floor, watching the wasted pellets clean themselves up. Dongpyo, admittedly looking a little guilty, juts out his bottom lip. He’s trying to get out of the scolding. “It was one of the hummingbirds,” He says. “It escaped when I went back there.”

Hyeongjun is less than convinced, though. “I counted all of the birds, Dongpyo, not a single one was missing from the main room.”

Dongpyo sighs, adjusting his oversized witch hat, shoving his hands into the pockets of his apron, and slips past Hyeongjun and into the main room. The older shrugs in annoyance. “Maybe you miscounted.”

Offended, Hyeongjun scoffs. “_ MIscounted? _ Maybe you’re just clumsy!”

Granted, the accusation isn’t entirely false. Dongpyo turns around on his heel, finger pointed at Hyeongjun, mouth open to retort the statement. However, the bell rings, alerting the two (and the only) employees of the store that a customer has entered. Hyeongjun looks past his brother’s shoulder, cheering up at the sight of the Familiar. “Seungyoun! It’s been a while.”

Seungyoun shrugs. “Just came to pick something up, since Seungwoo’s a little sick at the moment.”

Confused, Hyeongjun returns to the counter. “So why are you here?” Hyeongjun asks.

Seungyoun’s large ears flatten against his head, clearly unsatisfied with the question. Dongpyo shakes his head, dismissing the question instantly. “Don’t mind Hyeongjun, he never reads order papers.” Hyeongjun glares at him. “Do you have the payment?”

The Familiar drops the coins onto the counter, and the exchange happens fairly quickly. Once Dongpyo confirms the amount, he pulls out a nicely wrapped package, handing it over and in his best customer voice, tells Seungyoun to have a nice day and to wish Seungwoo well on their behalf. But Hyeongjun isn’t done with the transaction, and the moment Seungyoun’s tail disappears from the door, Hyeongjun turns his attention to his brother. 

“What was that?”

Dongpyo groans, fumbling around with order papers until he finds the one he needs, handing it over to Hyeongjun. He reads over it carefully, examining each word and god, Dongpyo really needs to work on his handwriting. “A package of medicine?” Hyeongjun hums.

It’s not a horrible medication, actually. It’s rather tame compared to what they have in their stock. Seungwoo took up a bird after connecting to Seungyoun, probably on behalf of the Familiar, who couldn’t ask for a bird himself. Rather strange, if you think about it for too long, but Seungyoun’s spent the better half of his life as a human with oversized fox ears, not as a fox with underwhelming hunting skills. “Apparently their bird caught some bird flu, and Seungwoo’s trying to treat it at home first.”

Hyeongjun nods, folding the piece of paper up, tossing it into the trash. “I’ll get to work making replacement for the stock you handed out, then.”

He can tell Dongpyo is watching him, but Hyeongjun disappears into his room above the shop to work on his recipes. If Dongpyo needs him today, he doesn’t make it known.

♦

Seungwoo pops his head into the store just as Hyeongjun is heading down the stairs, carrying a box full of freshly made potions and medicine. He is hoping it doesn’t come across that he needs help, but after feeling the weight of the box released from his grasp, he realizes Seungwoo is going to help him even if he said no. So he thanks him for the help, and waits until he sets the box down on the counter before organizing.

Dongpyo appears out from the supply closet, practically dropping everything in excitement of seeing his favorite customer. It’s no secret, actually. The entire town knows it, and Dongpyo doesn’t even try to hide it anymore. “What brings you here, Seungwoo?” Dongpyo asks.

“Seungyoun’s bird is molting. Badly.”

Hyeongjun yelps as the top of his head slams against the underside of the counter, completely forgetting that he is under it in the first place. He backs up, rubbing his now throbbing head, glaring at Dongpyo, who holds back laughter. “Molting?” Hyeongjun now stands on his feet, still rubbing the side of his head that he hit.

“I swear that thing’s bald.”

Hyeongjun stares at Seungwoo, dumbfounded. Dongpyo, on the other hand, has lost all sense of control, now laughing at the obvious distress in the Witch’s voice. Seungwoo doesn’t find it funny at all, however. “You know, I thought it was just that sickness that birds go through every once in a while—That’s why I had ‘Youn swing by to get the medicine—But I guess I was wrong.” It’s then that Hyeongjun notices the birdcage he is carrying, which he sets on the counter. Sure enough, the bird is bald. “I swear I’m not a bad pet owner.”

The bird _ was _molting. Seungwoo is right about that. However, its current state isn’t even a danger. Hyeongjun doesn’t know much about animals, but he’s seen enough bird cases to know when something’s wrong, and when something’s perfectly normal. This is normal. Seungwoo just doesn’t understand birds.

Either way, Dongpyo entertains Seungwoo, cleaning the cage of the remaining feathers, handing the bird to Hyeongjun to hold. “Am I… wrong?”

Hyeongjun nods. “He’ll look like this for a few weeks, and then you’ll wake up one day to a bird with his feathers back. Don’t worry too much.”

Seungwoo isn’t entirely convinced. Hyeongjun can tell from the way he watches the two as they finish taking care of the bird to the best of their own abilities. “Seungwoo. Magical creatures have a funny way of being brats. They’ll fuck with you on purpose,” Dongpyo says. “Your bird pretending to be sick is just something you should expect.”

Although, the bird did seem a bit tired. Hyeongjun wonders if it needs a chance to fly a bit. “Say, when it regains its feathers, try letting it fly around. Let it roam your cottage more.”

Seungwoo raises an eyebrow. “So in other words, this bird just hates me.”

It isn’t a question. Still, Dongpyo finds it in him to answer. “Maybe he just prefers Seungyoun. I don’t know, I can’t talk to it.”

Oh Dongpyo can certainly talk to it. It was a prank they had pulled on their parents when they were younger. Dongpyo had convinced their father that the deer behind their house were preparing to feed on the crops mom planted. Reality is, they just wanted to watch their father do some cool magic. Which he did, where he cast a protection spell on the garden and the house, letting Hyeongjun and Dongpyo watch as he used the magic of the family. Come a few weeks later, when mom returns home from the city, she explains to their dad that Dongpyo can’t speak to animals, at least not given his age. (Although she knew she was lying to his face.)

Truth is, the deer _ did _ want to eat, but after the spell went up, Dongpyo and Hyeongjun snuck the bad harvest out to the woods to feed them. Harmless, he figures. Father still hasn’t forgiven them, though.

Seungwoo eyes the pair suspiciously, before taking up the cage in his hand. “Alright well, thank you.”

Once Seungwoo leaves, Dongpyo sighs with intensity. Hyeongjun clears out the remaining feathers from the counter, watching his brother for a moment to find a change of mood. However, he doesn’t see one. “Does the bird really hate Seungwoo?” Hyeongjun asks.

“Nah. It’s still adjusting to them.”  
  
“It’s been months!”

“Exactly,” Dongpyo says. He turns on his heel. “That bird is a brat. It has been since we first got him, remember? When it would squawk for attention and refuse to be quiet or sit still until I granted his wishes?”

Hyeongjun does remember. He also remembers the bird taking a very particular liking to Seungyoun. When the pair arrived last year, the bird was already out of the cage and flying around. Hyeongjun had been trying to catch it when it landed on Seungyoun’s head, just behind his left fox ear. An interesting bird, really. Once he landed there, he refused to move at all. They took him home that night.

“Yeah.”

“Well that bird is gonna have to get used to the fact that we don’t take care of him anymore. Minor molting is fine but that bird took it too far just to see us.”

Hyeongjun laughs at this. He genuinely laughs. He can’t imagine any creature would want to stay here with them bickering like they do. He sure wouldn’t. He wonders if the animals they’ve raised take on Dongpyo’s sassy nature. 

♦

Hyeongjun ties Dongpyo’s apron into a cute little bow at the small of his back. The aprons were a gift from Wooseok about two years ago, because he insisted that it would be adorable. And he will admit, they are _ very _ adorable, but they also clash with their robes. Nonetheless, they’ve worn them ever since.

Wooseok is a pretty frequent visitor, although not for a pet necessarily. At least, not a pet that they gave him. He’s had a shadow following him around for the better half of the last three years, a small black cat he appropriately named “Pain-In-The-Ass” (or Pita for short, alternatively Shadow, if you’re Dongpyo). And despite being allergic, Wooseok hasn’t exactly figured out how to get rid of Pita, so for now it remains his little tag-a-long.

Dongpyo tried his charm on the cat once, hoping that he could help Wooseok understand his intentions. However, the cat didn’t speak. At least, not to him. It isn’t uncommon that animals refuse to speak to Witches’ who can communicate back, but after several weeks of trying and Dongpyo receiving not even an angry word to back off, Dongpyo assumed the cat was one of two things: normal, or a Familiar that Wooseok had not yet discovered was his own.

The Witch hasn’t appeared recently, probably caught up with his work outside of the town. Wooseok is a semi-important man, with businesses in various places around the city. Hyeongjun kind of misses him, if he’s honest.

They’re only thirty minutes into their work when the bell is rung again, this time two bodies walk in. Hyeongjun reminds himself that the bell is used to keep the two on their feet. It’s not just an annoying reminder that people do come in and out of the store frequently. (Although he’d like to destroy the thing half the time.) 

The taller of the two customers isn’t exactly someone Hyeongjun remembers seeing around, but the other, shorter man, is Hangyul. All of three months ago Hangyul requested a pet goldfish. Though Hyeongjun was skeptical that goldfish could even be magical pets, once he took a look into their tanks, sure enough he saw a goldfish. A small one, but definitely magical because he remembers Dongpyo’s first words about it being, “That fish is going to cause so much trouble.”

Even with that in mind, they handed the goldfish over and Hangyul would only return to get food for it. However, today he comes with a new person carrying a fish bowl, with the fish inside. Hyeongjun can only assume how things are going to go, and each scenario is just as funny as the last.

Dongpyo is already snickering upon the new boy setting down the fish bowl. “What brings you here today, Hangyul?”

“Can you help me? I think my goldfish is drowning.”

Hyeongjun stares up at Hangyul, mostly because he isn’t processing anything that he heard. Does Hangyul not understand how fish work? Is it because it’s a _ magic _ fish that Hangyul thinks it works differently? The new boy speaks up in light of the silence. “I tried telling him that fish can’t drown but he—”

“It’s _ floating _ upside down!” Hangyul interrupts.

“Fish breathe water, you know. Drowning is when you’re in water and can’t breathe. It doesn’t apply to fish.”

Hangyul apparently understands that part, given the expression he shares with Dongpyo. Still, he persists. “So tell me why it’s just been sitting here for a few days, floating as if its dead? Every time I go near it it just floats but whenever Dohyon’s around it acts perfectly fine.”

Dohyon. Hyeongjun remembers the name from a while ago. Junho had brought him up, about how they once ran into each other on accident, where Dohyon repeatedly apologized for spilling Junho’s freshly made potions. Junho only had nice things to say about him, though. Dohyon promptly sighs, leaning against the counter. “I’m sorry for wasting your time, I’m sure you’re busy.”

“Not at all,” Hyeongjun says. Truthfully, they really aren’t that busy. He mostly said it to see how things would play out.

Dongpyo already seems to have a headache. Hangyul groans. “I just… need help understanding this goldfish.”

“Well you know it’s not a normal fish, right? This is a _ magic _ pet shop. All animals here have magical properties,” Dongpyo explains.

It’s scary, just how calm Dongpyo sounds. Instead of the usual fake enthusiasm he holds for customers, it’s replaced with a simple devoid-of-all-emotion tone. Hyeongjun would be intimidated, had he not heard this voice from his brother enough already. “Well… if it’s magic, does it not work like regular fish? Could it drown in water?” Hangyul asks.

“You said it yourself, right? The fish acts normal around Dohyon.”

Hangyul pouts. Clearly, he isn’t getting quite the answer he wants. But what answer would he want? Dongpyo doesn’t seem to know, either. “Well, then… is my goldfish not drowning?”

“No. It’s just playing dead to spite you.”

Spite is a funny thing. Most of the animals they’ve raised carry a small amount of spite in their systems. It’s not common that they use it with their new owners, however. Hyeongjun can only recall about ten animals that have done so. 

Dongpyo doesn’t show his charm often. He prefers it if people didn’t know, because then he wouldn’t have to deal with people asking him to use his charm on their animals. Back in their old town, everyone knew of his charm. Each day mother would open the door to someone begging for her to let her son use his charm to hear their pets’ final words.

Hyeongjun might be younger, but he isn’t going to let his brother be used like that again. Especially not after seeing a grieving Witches’ final wish to be to hear her Familiar’s last words. Hyeongjun doesn’t really remember what happened to the Familiar, just something about it being cursed and unable to change form, something about them getting into a fight with someone stronger. No matter what Dongpyo said, the Witch wouldn’t listen, so Dongpyo lied. He told her what he assumed she wanted to hear, and then they left.

Dongpyo isn’t as bothered by it now, mostly ignoring the requests and turning people down the moment they even begin to ask the question. His charm affects his body too, after all. 

Hangyul moans in distress, turning to Dohyon. “Why does this always happen to me?” He asks.

Dohyon shrugs. “Because you’re the witch who forgot how to hold his wand.”

“What do you feed your goldfish?”

“The food Hyeongjun recommended me. I give it to her three times a day, and only what I’m supposed to. I even gave it an oversized tank because she’s picky. Am— Am I doing something wrong?”

“You’re pampering a two inch goldfish and you ask me what’s wrong,” Dongpyo deadpans.

It must have sunk in to Hangyul then, because in the next moment his face is flushed and his hands spring up to cover his reddening face. Dohyon can’t contain his amusement any longer, turning his head to laugh into his jacket. Dongpyo’s eyes widen briefly, glued onto the fish tank where, their previously playing dead, two-inch goldfish is now swimming around as if she hadn’t been torturing Hangyul just a minute before.

Hyeongjun rolls his eyes. “I suggest that you either downsize her tank, or get her a few friends.”

“_Friends? _ I don’t want more fish that are gonna play dead with me.”

“Get normal fish then? No one said her friends had to be magical.”

Hangyul’s lips part into an ‘o’ shape, effectively causing Dohyon to laugh even harder until he’s leaning heavily onto his knees and coughing from laughing too hard. Hyeongjun would be in the same position, if it weren’t for the fact that Hyeongjun’s magic had gone into overdrive since last night. 

His magic revolves almost entirely off his emotions, something he gained from their mom. When it’s in overdrive, he finds it difficult to fully respond. Today is a day where it’s hard for him to give more than small emotional reactions. “I… feel so dumb right now.”

“So that means I won the bet, right? I totally just won the bet!” Dohyon cheers, thrusting his fist into the air.

“Bet? What bet?” Dongpyo asks.

“We… both came today because of the goldfish. If the goldfish turned out to just be playing with me, Dohyon gets to have his own pet.”

“Sounds like a bad reason to take on a pet, they’re a lot of responsibility. Especially being _ magic _ pets,” Hyeongjun explains. “Are you sure you’re prepared for that kind of responsibility, Dohyon?”

“Oh more than ready. I’ve been wanting something else to take care of for years.” Dohyon points to Hangyul with a frown on his face. “Taking care of him _ wasn’t _ on the list, but here I am, you know?”

Dongpyo actually snorts this time, much to everyone’s surprise. “Alright, alright. I’ll give you a referral to a normal pet shop, and Hyeongjun how about you get Dohyon a pet?” Dongpyo ducks into the backroom, leaving the three out in the front.

Hangyul is too busy sulking over his goldfish to really notice Dohyon or Hyeongjun leaving him. He supposes it’s been a while since they’ve given a pet, might as well do it today. “What are you looking for?” Hyeongjun asks.

“I’ve always thought lizards and snakes were really cool.”

A snake would be interesting. “Say, are you living with Hangyul?”

Dohyon shakes his head. “Just moved out about two weeks ago. Had my entrance exam into training and decided to pick up my own place, just to not bother Hangyul any further.” Dohyon turns around to look back at the other, smiling. “Although, I have a feeling I’ll be visiting him often. Just to make sure he’s doing well, you know?”

Hyeongjun nods, holding the door open for Dohyon, leading him into the area they keep their reptiles. It’s a small room, really, but it’s built for the reptiles specifically. Lizards were tricky creatures, especially when they’re magical.

Dohyon looks around in awe, nonetheless. His eyes wander around to each of the reptiles, looking around at their cages and mumbling to himself about how Hangyul would hate him right now. “See any that you like, particularly?”

The other boy hums, stopping before a set of lizard cages, crouching down to be eye level with one of the fire breathing lizards. Tiny dragons, Seungyoun once nicknamed them. “These ones are pretty cool. I like the orange colors.”

“They breathe fire sometimes, so I’d be careful.”

“Woah! Really?” Dohyon asks.

Hyeongjun almost wonders if it is a mistake to have told him. “Only when they’re provoked. Those are pretty much full sized, they can’t actually do much harm.”

“Can I hold one?”

Hyeongjun shrugs, walking over to pull one of the lizards from the cage, setting it on Dohyon’s hand. He hopes his magic isn’t too spent, in case the lizard tried anything funny and Hyeongjun would have to control it. However it does not seem the case, for the lizard simply crawls up Dohyon’s arm, resting on his shoulder. It looks like a good match, because the lizard isn’t attacking Dohyon like it’s definitely done before, and the victim was totally not Hyeongjun.

“I like him, a lot.” Dohyon smiles, standing up carefully. The lizard seems content.

“Well, if that’s what you’re sure with, I can get you all the stuff you need for it.”

Dohyon nods, and they head out of the room and back to the main room, where Hangyul is still sulking about his pampered goldfish and Dongpyo is writing down a list of things he should do for said goldfish. Dohyon smiles, holding the lizard in his hands. “I found the pet I wanna take care of!”

Hangyul stares at him, too devoid of emotion to even give him the respect of a proper reaction. Either way, Dohyon still seems happy, and Hyeongjun busies himself gathering the basic resources to take care of the lizard. Once he sets it all on the counter, he smiles. “I think that’s all?”

Dongpyo rings it all up, and within the next fifteen minutes the pair are gone, goldfish and lizard in hands, waving them goodbye and exiting. Hyeongjun feels worn out, just praying his magic has recovered enough to give him a boost of strength for the rest of the day. Although it doesn’t feel like that’ll be the case. “A fire breathing lizard?” Dongpyo scoffs. “What an interesting choice. Those are not the easiest to take care of.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Hangyul… is gonna get his goldfish more friends. I even taught him a spell that will extend their lifetime so the goldfish doesn’t have to deal with grief so early.”

“Talk about pampering.”  
  
Dongpyo smacks him in the shoulder. “He was pampering the damn thing! Treating it like a princess that could be harmed if it so much as touched a piece of food the wrong way.”

Hyeongjun smiles. “It’s cute to see you so worked up over a fish. Maybe we should give troubled animals out more often.”

“Do that and I will be running this business on my own.”

Hyeongjun gasps. “You’d never!”

“Try me, Mr. Exhausted-From-Crying-Over-A-Play.”

“It was a _ tragedy_!” Hyeongjun argues.

“Yeah, played by _ children_. The blood was colored water!” Dongpyo throws his hands into the air. “That isn’t even remotely convincing!”

Hyeongjun pouts. “Leave me and my tears alone.”

“Suit yourself. I need you to restock the medicine cabinet anyways, and I know you managed to make the stock before you spent your energy.”

Hyeongjun restocks the medicine, although still salty over Dongpyo. Just because it was a play by children doesn’t mean Hyeongjun can’t cry.

♦

Hyeongjun thinks overly affectionate couples are the worst. Even if they don’t intend to rub it in everyone else’s faces, they certainly do it anyways. A part of Hyeongjun wishes to remain single for the rest of his life, where he doesn’t have to worry about getting disgusting and cute with another person. A part of Hyeongjun is longing for that attention, too.

He’s thankful that, at the very least, no annoying couple visits the pet shop and gets disgusting with each other. Instead, he gets to see the lovely bickering of people who _ should _ be together but aren't. Junho enters the store first, clearly heated in whatever debate he was sharing with Eunsang, who comes in after him.

Minhee trails behind the pair, looking just about as unbothered as he can be. Dongpyo whispers something about how this can only be good, clearly making himself something to eat in his head. Junho groans, turning around and abruptly stopping Eunsang in his tracks. “I’m_ telling _you, Eunsang, a guinea pig would be the worst class pet. What are we, mortals?” Junho scoffs. “At least think about something cooler.”

“Well excuse me for considering the fact that the kids are only _ seven _, Junho,” Eunsang retorts.

Honestly, every time Hyeongjun encounters the two it’s a new argument. Sure, they never actually amount to anything in the end other than bragging rights, in which Eunsang usually wins because Junho runs out of patience to even argue with him. Dongpyo finds a kick out of them too, though for a slightly different reason. “Hello, you two, Minhee.”

Minhee sits down at the free chair tucked into the corner of the shop, probably to sit back and watch the chaos unfold. If only Hyeongjun could share the luxury. “So, what’s up?” Dongpyo asks.

“We wanted to get a pet for the class and we’re just debating on which one it should be,” Eunsang says. “I’m saying we should go on the safe side since the kids are still young, and their magic isn’t entirely controllable. Junho thinks otherwise.”

“Well, what were you thinking of, Junho?”

All attention is on Junho now, who freezes up at the eyes on him. “A tarantula.”

The pet shop falls oddly silent. Dongpyo is staring at the two, Hyeongjun’s busy retracing the steps in his life he took to get to this point, and Minhee’s just chilling with one of the birds that’s not in its cage. Hyeongjun is counting down the seconds until Dongpyo speaks. Three, two…

..One. “No. No way am I giving either of you a precious tarantula.” Dongpyo furiously shakes his head as he speaks, no doubt thinking of about a hundred possibilities of how that could go wrong.

Eunsang takes it as a victory, somehow. “Hah! I told you, Junho!”

Junho rolls his eyes. “Why not?”

Dongpyo raises an eyebrow. “Why not? Junho should I remind you that you and Eunsang managed to freeze the town’s center well. In the middle of the summer.” Dongpyo pauses for a moment. “Or the time you two forgot you started a clean up spell and Seungwoo had to fix the entire town.”

Eunsang looks away rather sheepish, but Junho’s not having it. “So? What’s that got to do with us being able to take care of a tarantula?” He asks.

Minhee hides his laughter inside the sleeve of his robes. “What’s that got to— I’m not entrusting the _ life _ of an animal like a tarantula to two dimwits like yourselves. Guinea pig it is.” Dongpyo slams his hand on the table, causing everyone in the room to jump.

Hyeongjun promptly slips out of the area behind the counter, leading the two to the guinea pigs. Admittedly, they don’t have many. He’s kind of sad to let one go, even. But after having a class pet himself when he was younger, he figures there’s no harm in letting kids help care for it. Plus, it’s not like magic guinea pigs need much outside help, other than food and water. “Pick out your favorite.”

Minhee gets up to look with them, mocking the pair for how quickly the tarantula idea was shut down, muttering a sly “told you so” in there for added salt in the wound. Hyeongjun almost worries momentarily that the building might go up in flames, but it seems Junho is keeping his cool in the situation.

It’s a wonder how either of them managed to complete their magic teaching license, let alone get to work together. Although, Hyeongjun knows they have good restraint in front of their kids, so it shouldn’t be that much a problem. Minhee pops up by the counter, leaning against his elbow. “Can I get another packet of food for Dohyon? He’s running late today and won’t be able to swing by before you close, so I offered to grab it for him.”

“Is that why you tagged along with them?” Hyeongjun asks.

“Not really. I wanted to see how this would go down, and I was not disappointed.” Minhee sets down the payment for the food, and once he sweeps it up in his hands, he winks at the brothers. “Thanks.”

“Have y’all decided?”

Eunsang’s carrying one of the larger ones, with long brown, white, and black fur. It’s a recent addition to the shop, one that Hyeongjun grew fond of and is admittedly a little sad to let go of. “This one.”

Junho rolls his eyes. “Still don’t see why we can’t have a tarantula.”

Dongpyo groans, ringing the pair up, and as he speaks Hyeongjun is preparing their package. “I said no because while you guys are responsible enough to get teaching licenses, a tarantula requires patience, practice, and most importantly, people who aren’t _ clumsy _ and share a single brain-cell between the two of them.”

Junho doesn’t argue, mostly because everyone in the shop knows Dongpyo is right. He is the best judgement for the animals of the shop. So Eunsang celebrates his guinea pig victory, carrying the animal in his hands as Junho grumbles to himself about the weight of their package. Minhee leaves after them, thanking them again for the packet of food.

“Can you imagine those two with a tarantula?” Hyeongjun asks.

“The two aren’t even smart enough to realize they have feelings for each other. No, I can’t imagine those two with a _ living _ tarantula.”

He’s right. They will never release a pet of theirs to a person without knowing for sure the animal won’t die unless of natural causes. They care too much, Dongpyo cares too much. After all, he feels the weight of the feelings of every animal that’s ever passed through their shop. It’s the burden of his charm.

♦

When Hyeongjun first hears that Wooseok is back in town, he cries. His last visit had been almost four months ago, when he gave them the spells they use to run the shop now. A simple attraction spell for magical creatures and a barrier to keep bad magic out.

Dongpyo catches him crying, but Hyeongjun is too busy to actually care that he did. Instead, he curls into his brother’s hug, and try to calm himself down before he drains his magic too much. “Wooseok’s back.”

Hyeongjun nods, wiping away his tears, and suddenly he is ready to face the day. They open the shop on time, although it isn’t open to customers. Today is a special day. So when Wooseok finally arrives, Hyeongjun almost entirely freaks out, running to the door to give him the biggest hug. “Ah, Hyeongjun!” Wooseok laughs, hugging the younger back gently. “I’ve missed you too.”

“The shop’s been doing so well, Wooseok! I’m so happy you’ve come back to town, we can show you everything!”

“Did you bring Shadow?” Dongpyo asks.

Wooseok look at him puzzled for a second, until he finally registers what he means. “Oh! Pita’s tagging along.”

“Pita? Is that what you call him?”

“Who’s this?” Hyeongjun asks, pointing to the stranger behind Wooseok and ignoring his question.

“Oh, this is Yohan. He’s my apprentice.” Wooseok smiles. “Hyeongjun, Dongpyo, meet Yohan. Yohan, meet Hyeongjun and Dongpyo.”

“It’s nice to meet you two. Wooseok has talked so much about you guys, I almost started to think you were secretly his younger brothers,” Yohan says. “I’ve only started tagging along about two months ago, but I’ve followed Wooseok’s work for years.”

Wooseok is a well published witch, best known for his work in biomagic. He’s helped create efficient harvests for farmers from everywhere. His work is published in spell books and newspapers and his name floats around in daily conversation almost daily.

Pita pads out from behind Yohan, meowing loudly enough to catch Dongpyo’s attention. “Shadow!” He exclaims, bending down to pick up the black cat. Hyeongjun can practically hear his purring from a few feet away. “I’ve missed you so much oh my goodness.”

It’s a sight unseen before in this shop. To see Dongpyo so happy and cheerful. It’s a mystery how Pita came to be Wooseok’s companion. “I see Pita hasn’t changed much.”

Wooseok shakes his head. “Pita’s changed a lot, actually. Though, I can’t explain why.” He takes a moment to let his eyes explore the building. “You guys have really made this shop a dream place for magic pets, haven’t you?”

Hyeongjun smiles widely. “We have had so much foot traffic since you’ve helped us get off the ground.”

Yohan glances at them. “Wooseok helped?”

Hyeongjun isn’t exactly sure how to feel about the question. “Well… of course. We stayed with him when we moved here.”

Wooseok smiles. “Yohan, these two are very special. Of course I helped them.”

Pita meows again. Dongpyo sets him down, watching Pita pad around the shop as the room falls into silence. On one hand, Hyeongjun almost feels obligated to answer Yohan’s unasked questions, but on the other he knows how Dongpyo gets with strangers. He likes to think Wooseok does too.

They settle for eating lunch at Wooseok’s favorite diner in town, insisting that he’ll pay for it even though he’s the guest, and that Dongpyo or Hyeongjun should be paying instead. Hyeongjun spends lunch time eating and watching Yohan as he talks about meeting Wooseok, and how he became Wooseok’s apprentice. Dongpyo sneaks small scraps under the table to Pita, doing it so discreetly that even Hyeongjun barely notices.

“So a few weeks ago, Hangyul comes in with his goldfish, right?” Dongpyo spends some time to chew on his food before continuing. “Well this goldfish has a habit of acting up when it doesn’t like the attention she receives. And I knew that going into giving him the goldfish in the first place. Well he comes in, and the fish is floating, like its dead.”

Hyeongjun nearly jumps at the opportunity to say the punchline. “He comes in and says, ‘Help! I think my goldfish is drowning!’” Hyeongjun even pulls out the high pitched, clearly-in-distress voice to deliver the effect.

Wooseok bursts out into genuine laughter, forcing a hand over his mouth to avoid looking like a complete fool in public. “Well he didn’t exactly say it like _ that _, but he still said that it was drowning.

“He placed a bet with his former roommate, which he lost after Dongpyo said, and I quote, “You’re pampering a two-inch goldfish.’” Hyeongjun smiles when Wooseok only laughs harder

Dongpyo smiles too, proud that his words are causing such a reaction. Yohan is laughing too, though visibly less so compared to Wooseok. “You didn’t actually— He really didn’t come in saying that, right?”

Catching up with Wooseok proves to be more fun than Hyeongjun could have dreamed of. Seeing his brother so cheerful and full of excitement makes Hyeongjun happy, too. And as the two spent longer with Yohan, Dongpyo grew more comfortable and opens up to him even if only the slightest.

By the end of the day, Hyeongjun is exhausted. His magic is drained and his body is sore from the extra amount of use it got. They say goodbye to Wooseok quickly, Hyeongjun mostly determined to make it to his bed before he falls asleep.

Dongpyo helps him in the last few minutes it takes to get home, and once the door closes behind them, Hyeongjun is quick to retreat to his room. “Hey, Hyeongjun?”

Hyeongjun stops where he’s walking, leaning against the wall to support himself. “Yes?”

“Do you remember what we were supposed to do tomorrow.”

Come to think of it, Hyeongjun was too distracted to remember. Even as he continued to ponder the question, Hyeongjun couldn’t find the answer he’s looking for. Dongpyo is in thought too, sitting on the couch as the house grows silent.

Hyeongjun remembers now. “We need to prepare for the festival in two weeks.” He yawns, bleary eyed and in hopes that his brother remembers the rest.

“Ah, that’s right. Goodnight, Hyeongjun.”

“Goodnight, Dongpyo.”

**Author's Note:**

> Be sure to follow me on [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/_deerlynx)


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